After buying your first house, one thing to look forward to after moving in is tending to your yard and garden.
But if your neighbor’s yard isn’t quite as tidy as you hoped, things can get a little frustrating.
One homeowner took to Reddit to ask for advice on affordable options to mask what they called an “eyesore” on one side of the property.
“Our neighbor’s yard is filled with junk, and we can’t afford a new fence to hide it,” they captioned the post.
A backyard should be a space to relax, grow plants and vegetables, and let your pets and family expend some energy. But if the neighboring property is filled with junk and is not properly maintained, it could lead to a few problems that go beyond aesthetics.
The presence of junk can encourage pests like rats and mosquitoes, which isn’t ideal if you want to grow a vegetable patch or a flower bed. Meanwhile, your family members and pets might be exposed to these pests, which, in turn, could lead to exposure to diseases and parasites.
Regarding the view, a few Redditors came up with some handy solutions.
“I would keep [an] eye open on Facebook marketplace. People sell fencing now and then,” one user suggested.
“Plant a native flowering vine along the fence line and let it grow on the fence,” a Redditor advised.
Native plants are the flowers, shrubs, grasses, vines, and trees that are naturally found in your area. They have spent thousands of years evolving with your region’s specific climate and thus are well adapted to the area’s moisture level, soil, weather, and native wildlife.
Native plants are not only a friend to your local pollinators, but they can also save you money on yard maintenance, as they need less water and expensive fertilizers and pesticides to grow. And, in this case, they could even save the original poster money on a fence replacement while still creating a divide between their new yard and their neighbor’s cluttered one.
It seems the natural solution was a hit with the homeowner, who wrote, “Good idea! I have some [Virginia] creeper growing by my work, so I’ll propagate some cuttings from that.”
In terms of dealing with the neighbor’s backyard trash, which the original poster suggested might be part of a daycare operation the neighbor claimed to be running, another Redditor suggested seeking help from the local government.
“If that’s a daycare playground, then I’d call whoever certifies daycares and have her turned in,” they suggested. “That yard is a hazard to any and all.”
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
